Donna the Buffalo

7th Annual FloydFest happens July 24-27 in the Blue Ridge

The magic and beauty of the FloydFest vision is unparalleled. The profound purpose of the organizers and staff shines from corner to corner of the experience. So jump on the Blue Ridge parkway and come on down! FloydFest 5: ROOTS ALIVE!

Today you can still feel the energy that has been captured by the Ledges over hundreds of years. It is still a meeting place, and it was once told to me that "People weave their individuality through the park, creating a beautiful tapestry of diversity, bound together with a common love.

The goal of any good music film is to show what it was like to be at the venue when sparks flew from the stage, not necessarily the truth of the moments captured but the essence of the event that transpired. Most celluloid sequences just don’t get the job done—cutaway shots to insignificant visual images, show-offy camera angles that disrupt the flow of the music, short-changed artists with solos edited and brutal slices that choose not to expose the skinned-knee portions of any really good musical set.

Filmmaker Michael O’Connell has crafted a touching and heartfelt portrayal of the music and people behind the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival in Trumansburg, NY. The annual non-profit four-day festival has been raising money for the fight against AIDS for 15 years, and recently expanded to create the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival in Silk Hope, NC. Not just a concert film, O’Connell concentrates heavily on the people behind the music, including extensive interviews with festival organizers Jordan and Jeb Puryear among others. Jeb is one of the lead singers and guitarists for Donna the Buffalo, making them the quasi-host band of the festival.